Shelf-life guidance for ready-to-eat food manufacturers

CFA and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) have published Shelf life of ready to eat food in relation to L. monocytogenes - Guidance for food business operators (the Shelf Life Guidance), which is designed to help businesses from small food outlets to major food manufacturers calculate an accurate time period for people to eat food and minimise the risk of illness. The Guidance is also designed to help firms meet European Union microbiology rules - in particular, Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005. This sets limits on microorganisms, such as listeria, in food.

Complex issues are explained in an easy-to-understand manner for staff at all levels of expertise. Real-life worked examples are provided to show how the advice should be put into practice.

The guidance was developed by a coalition of organisations chaired by the BRC, including the CFA, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, LACORS, the Health Protection Agency and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Kaarin Goodburn, Secretary General of the Chilled Food Association, which led food manufacturing sector input, said: “We are pleased that such a wide range of organisations participated in developing the Guidance. We hope it will provide vital information on how to set shelf life, what the key prerequisites are for making ready-to-eat food, and the basic principles of what to look for when selecting ready-to-eat ingredients.”

Sally Barber, British Retail Consortium Food Policy Executive, said: “Setting the right shelf life is essential for food safety. The Guidance will help businesses of all sizes to calculate the correct food shelf life for their products and to meet European microbiology regulations. It’s a free publication, with easy-to-use explanations and common everyday examples.”

Jenny Morris, Food Policy Officer at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said: “CIEH welcomes the Guidance, as setting shelf-life limits can be complex. We believe that this Guidance will assist all food businesses, large or small, and will also be of considerable use to food law enforcers.”

Liz Redmond, Head of Hygiene and Microbiology at the Food Standards Agency, said: “People need confidence in the safety of the food they buy; this guidance adds to the good work already being done by the food industry, CIEH and the FSA to achieve this. I hope businesses and enforcement officers will find this a useful addition to the range of food safety information available to them.”

Worked examples are also available demonstrating the process, as set out in the Guidance, of determining shelf life regarding L. monocytogenes for specific products. This includes the considerations of ingredients, manufacturing environment and data to support (or otherwise) the assigned shelf life.

The Guidance is available as a free download.